Um, I don't think I will have so much drama tied to this fic...Orochimaru, is actually mostly used for comedic relief, he will pop up again in a more fun way i hope... So guys don't worry and enjoy the story. Hope this chapter turned out alright. I struggled with it a bit and wanted it to be good before posting but here goes.
Serendipity
Chapter Twenty Two
"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, his tail flicking up and down in pure annoyance, eyes narrowed on the laughing cat.
He was close to doing something just to shut that cat up.
How dare that lesser being laugh at him?
In case the other hadn't noticed, neither of them were in a good position. Locked in these cages they were prey to whoever was holding them captive. They were at their mercy, in danger, and they should be plotting to escape instead. Sasuke really hated the idea of staying in inside of this cage for any longer than he had to. So he couldn't understand what the other's problem was.
They had better wipe that smile from their idiotic face.
"Oh no, he had to ask," a female cat groaned from a different cage.
"No," Several other groans followed.
The cat that had been laughing suddenly sat up straight, making a show of it. He revealed that there was another cat that looked like his twin resting just behind him. The white cat then posed, that same stupid smirk never leaving its smug face.
"Let me introduce ourselves. We are the leaders, the feared, the well-known, Sakon," The white cat proudly stated, making another embarrassing pose.
"Ukon," his twin said from behind him with a sleepy yawn. He didn't seem all that concern with how to introduce himself.
"My brother and I run our group of criminals, the Oto Number one clowder…" he trailed off as if waiting for something.
Sasuke tilted his head in confusion, wondering if that was all there was to his introduction. It was kind of dumb and unnecessary if it was. He was about to voice out his opinion but didn't get the chance because the other had enough.
Sakon trembled, anger flashing in his eyes as he bared his fangs and roared loudly. "Guys that's your damn cue to introduce yourselves!" he snapped. "Do it, do it now!" it was a command.
There were groans and objections, but finally a light brown female cat decided it was best to get it over and done with. Her movements caught Sasuke's attention, now identifying the other talking cat he had heard before.
"Fine, ugh…I'm the baddest female of this group, Tayuya," she said with so little enthusiasm it was sad and painful. Her light brown fur had signs of faded stripes, and her eyes were an orange brown color that looked away, ashamed.
"I'm the muscle, call me Jirobo," a chunky dark orange tabby grunted with a slight bow of his head. Its face looked like it was set in an angry scowl and his orange eyes bored into anyone that was looking at him.
"I'm the cool one, Kidomaru," a dark brown stripped cat was the last to introduce himself. He too had that same orange color for his eyes.
"So, now that you know who we are, why don't you tell us who you are?" Sakon pitch black eyes locked with the ruby ones of the strange blue gray kitten.
Sasuke hesitated, wondering if it was a good idea to tell them who he was. Then again, it wasn't like he was anyone in the world. It wouldn't matter if they knew his name. What he needed right now was to find a way out of here and back to Itachi.
He only hoped these cats were useful in aiding him to accomplish his goal.
"I'm Sasuke," he said with determination, "Whe…"
"Anyways," Tayuya rudely cut in, "What is a pampered little kitten like yourself in for? Your owner thought you were too much or did they find out that you were a shifter and decided that you deserved to die," She bristled, baring her fangs.
Anger and hatred were clearly swirling in her eyes along with some unshed tears. Sasuke couldn't help but stare at her with shock.
"Calm yourself, Tayuya," Sakon chided.
Tayuya scoffed, turning her head away grumbling.
Sasuke regained himself. "No," he said.
He suddenly became guarded.
He really didn't know if he could trust any of these cats. For all he knew they just wanted to get him to admit who he was and they would hand him over to the crazy man that ran this place. They would reveal who he was and who knows what would happen to him. Maybe death…
On the other hand, Sakon had stopped him from using his power and pointed out that they were being watched.
Just what was their situation?
Why were they here?
"You'll have to forgive her, she's been through the wringer," Sakon said once he noted that Sasuke had clammed up. He gave an apologetic look with just his face. "We all have, if I am being honest with you. Life hasn't been the kindest or the easiest for us."
Sasuke nodded, understanding.
He knew better than anyone just how cruel the outside world was. That didn't mean that he wanted them to think badly of his owner. He needed to clarify that.
"No, I'm not here because my owner wanted me dead. I don't know the reason that I am here and honestly I'll ask about that later but I want to get out. I have to get back to my owner, he needs me," Sasuke looked at them pleadingly, "You have to tell me how I can get out of here, wherever this place is, so I can return to him."
The cats suddenly al stared, looking at him like he was strange.
Sasuke had no doubt that he probably was, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get out of here. He needed too…
"Yeah right," Tayuya scoffed in disbelief.
Sasuke's eyes widened, "I do, I have to get back to my owner!" he stressed.
Sakon shook his head as the others all turned away with varying responses of scoffs and not believing him.
"Kid, let's face it. If you're here, it is because your owner figured out what you really are. Organs of many shifters like yourself get processed and sold here for the black market. People use those organs for all types of things, usually medicinal, usually under the pretense of spirituality," Sakon shrugged, not caring either way it was all the same. "You don't come to a place like the pound unless you were found out, and you don't leave unless you've been harvested and slated for death"
"No, Itachi would never do that to me!" Sasuke rejected the idea, baring his fangs at them. "He'd never…"
"If that is so, then why did your Itachi allow you to end up here, huh?" Kidomaru challenged. "You're in the pound, some of the cats here are just that, cats. Blank canvas that are experimented on and turned into us…we're abominations. No one in this world wants us, creature or not, shifter or not!"
"My demon isn't a heartless human like you're trying to make him out to be," Sasuke growled.
"That's ever worse!" Kidomaru snapped.
"A demon, hah, no wonder you're here about to become kibble," Tayuya seethed, her eyes glowing as if she just heard something that was justified. Something that proved what she was saying. "You're a dead cat walking,"
"Guys chill," Sakon called, not wanting them to continue attacking Sasuke. "Hey kid, forget your owner and stick with us. You can have a long life in that cage if your follow what we say. You will stay safe and they won't even care to experiment on you."
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, confused and startled by what he was hearing. "Do they know that you all aren't regular cats," he looked at each cat. He was sure that he hadn't qualified for whatever this place was. Sasuke wasn't an idiot, he knew he was in danger at every turn, but he was relying on them not knowing.
Ukon laughed behind Sakon.
"Know, they created us. That is what we mean," Sakon smirked, but his look was more twisted than amused. Anyone could tell that what he was about to say pained him. "We were just regular cats, once upon a time, but Kabuto likes to experiment and we're just a pile of rejects. The failures of the experiments that he conducted, but that doesn't mean that we don't know, we know…" he trailed off with a nod.
"They have experimented on us so that we can telepathically communicate with humans, but we're not even shifters or anything like that. We have no exceptional skills or powers." Tayuya said in a teary tone, anger lingering at the edge. She was full of resentment and sadness, unwilling to believe that there was one safe place on this earth. "We were just regular cats, rejected, and left behind by our owners. Our owner whom we trusted and thought loved us. They left us here…this hell…" she trembled.
"We've been here trying to help out shifters figure out how to escape because we didn't like the idea of others suffering, but Kabuto must have found out because suddenly we were brought here, to the regular cat room." Sakon's tail twirl up and down for a few beats before he looked at Sasuke interested, "you though, are not normal. Why are you here?"
From the start, all of them could sense that there was something off about Sasuke. The cat had beautiful fur, and expressive eyes that no normal cat could have. On top of that, an aura that protected him. The aura alone didn't belong to Sasuke, it was mixed with a sinister undertone that almost felt like a warning, but it wasn't.
It was a real threat.
"What are you?" Tayuya asked.
"Must be here so that we can put some fear in him," Kidomaru mused.
"That's terrible," Jirobo sighed, shaking his head.
"What is Kabuto planning with you?" Sakon wondered, tilting his head. That is what they all wanted to know. There was no way Kabuto didn't know about this little one. "Judging by your aura it must be something big, because someone like you would definitely bring him in big investors. Big investors mean big money,"
Sasuke had several interested eyes locked on him.
He hadn't noticed it before until they had mentioned it but none of their mouths moved when talking to him. Come to think of it, he wasn't using his own voice either. They were all talking to each other through their minds…freaky.
Could they read his mind?
No, they might not be able to.
Otherwise they wouldn't be looking at him with anticipation for the answers they sought. This place sounded scarier by the second and he wanted out of it. There was no way that he was about to become someone's cash cow.
"I doesn't matter why I am here. I need to get back to my owner, he needs me." Sasuke moved his head against the cage with frustration, "You guys don't understand, I get that you don't, but I need to get out of here."
There was silence.
"I just can't believe that there is a shifter that would ever want to go back to his owner," Ukon yawned. "How curious,"
That thought made the other cats wonder as well. No shifter had ever come along wanting to escape to go back to an owner. At least, not one that wasn't seeking revenge on said owner, no shifter ever wished to see the person that sold them.
Sasuke was the first to willingly want to go back to his.
Tayuya couldn't hold herself back.
She snapped. "Damn you why would you want to go back? Do you want to know what owners do to you, they declaw you, spay and neuter you so that you can never have children and then tie bells around your neck so you can't hunt. They take everything from you, then abandon you and leave you to die. Is that what you want to go back to?"
"Owners are truly the worse, they leave you outside to starve and fend for yourself, when you don't know any better. They don't care about you," Kidomaru shivered, looking like he had just remembered his past life. Remembering a time when he had lived warmly in a family, with his owner, only to end up here when he wasn't needed anymore.
Sakon sighed, not having the will to stop his partners from schooling Sasuke in the reality of his situation.
"My owner was a demon. She thought that it'd be funny to light me up. She wanted to see if I really had nine lives…" Jirobo looked away in shame, sad to know he had placed so much trust and loyalty in someone who saw him as a plaything.
"What we're saying is that owners suck. Sasuke, they don't care about any of us. And yours' doesn't care about you either." Tayuya harshly whispered, giving Sasuke a hard look. Daring him to oppose her words.
Sasuke's claws dug into the cage beneath him as he thought about how he could convince them to help him. It was obvious that these cats had a bad perception of owners. He had met enough people to know that the world was cruel and that they weren't wrong.
That wasn't Itachi.
How was he supposed to convince them that his Itachi was the best?
"Your owners sucked, but mine doesn't. He's kind and gives the best belly rubs, and he's also a bit stupid. He's not mean enough for this world. He needs me there to take care of him." Sasuke gave them an imploring look, wanting them to understand.
"Why…why are you going this far to defend him like that!" Tayuya hissed, angry with Sasuke now. "There's no way, you're lying. There is no one in this world that is that kind…"
"'Tachi never once hurt me!" Sasuke screamed, tears pricking his eyes, "He saved me when I was near death. He could have left me to die several times over, but he didn't. He came for me, he always came and comforted me, fed me bowls of meat, and tomato. He took care of me and I love him!"
"If…if…" "Tayuya faltered under Sasuke's conviction for his owner.
The others were also giving Sasuke apprehensive looks, swayed by what he was saying.
None of them were willing to admit it, but there was still a little bit of hope burning inside of them that that legendary owner, who loved you unconditionally existed. That living in this world wasn't just suffering. That there was a place for them in this world and they weren't just useless.
"If that is true then why are you here?" Jirobo asked.
Sasuke bristled, "It's not because of my owner. The last thing I remember was his mom giving me a bowl of warm milk and then…" he shook his head. He was lost, far away from Itachi where he shouldn't be and the only suspect was Mikoto.
The other cats became agitated, hissing at the word 'mother.'
"Mothers," Sakon breathed with a light cackle, "The enemies to all pets. For some reason they dislike you even more than your owners do. Always talking about getting rid of you, and how useless you are and that your owner could do better without you at their side," It hit deep in Sakon's chest, remembering when he was a kitten. How he was shoed outside by a broom whenever his owner had gone to school.
"'Tachi's mom was trying to get him to date some girl but he doesn't like her." Sasuke explained, "I'm glad that he didn't because he's mine," Possessiveness dripped from that one word. One that hit clearly just how much Itachi meant to Itachi.
"You don't just love him, you're in love with him." Ukon discerned, "Like for reals in love,"
Everyone was shocked at the news.
A shifter, a creature, an insignificant being that world had rejected was in love with a demon of all things…it was unheard off.
"Yeah," Sasuke sniffled as he shyly said, "He's my most important person," his eyes softened as he recalled how he was Itachi's most important too. That warmth he felt when he learned that, he could never forget it.
The other cat's watched Sasuke with wonder.
This was a situation that just didn't seem possible.
"Itachi…he's not like anyone else. To him I am the most important thing in the world even if he thinks I'm just some cat. He doesn't know that I can shift, and even if he knew he would never have brought me here. Itachi is warm, kind…he gave me bowls and bowls of meat and the best hugs" he closed his eyes tightly, recalling the tasty morsels that always filled his plate.
"Meat?" the other cats echoed, a lot more interested in what Sasuke had to say than they had been before. Sasuke had mentioned this little detail twice now. It had been a long, long time since either of them had the pleasure of biting into any kind of meat.
Their tummies growled hungrily and the idea.
"Not just meat either, chunks of tomato, chicken covered in rice, grilled salmon, and buttered steak…" Sasuke was drooling, daydreaming of all the warm meals Itachi had made for him. "All washed down with creamy milk…"
Unknown to him, the other cats had stars in their eyes with drool pooling in their mouths.
"This mister Itachi gave you that?" Kidomaru asked in disbelief, his ears perked with so much interest.
"No-no way," Tayuya denied, covering that she had just been drooling. Not wanting to show that now she was convinced. "There's no way. Owners only ever give us that tasteless canned food, which is okay I guess, or the dry kibble that's bleh," She made a face.
"Not my Itachi, he'd give me anything that I wanted. He didn't waste his time trying to give me some generic pet food." Sasuke argued right back, defending his precious owner.
"Then…" Tayuya was cut off.
"If we help you escape, could we…perhaps, maybe… meet this Mister Itachi?" Sakon asked.
Ukon had moved to lay his head next to his brothers, now looking at Sasuke with pure interest.
"Would you help me escape for real? Yeah, if you help me," Sasuke agreed. Now he was getting somewhere. It seemed that the way to get them to help had been hiding behind delicious food. He'd let Itachi give them food if they really helped him.
The other cats looked at Sakon and Ukon, their leaders with bright eyes.
Unknown to Sasuke, he had just painted Itachi as some legendary entity that they had to meet. He didn't sound human at all. Of course, Sasuke had said that he was a demon. Demons were selfish and evil cruel beings, so that made him sound even less real.
They really wanted to meet him now.
There was a sudden burning in their chest, a want- no need- to escape from this place and follow Sasuke to what was essentially paradise. They wanted more out of life, they wanted to live. They craved for freedom and full bellies.
"So how do we get out?" Sasuke asked, eager to get the escape plan started.
That halted them.
Escape was such a complicated other thing.
"There's something wrong with Itachi," Kisame said once he was in his room. Suigetsu was resting on the bed, laptop open where he was making a flyer for the missing kitten. There were so many pictures of Kitty that it was unreal, so he wanted to choose the best one.
"He just lost Kitty. I think he's not going to be okay until he finds him." Suigetsu reasoned. Flicking through the images of Kitty there was no mistaking how important the little creature was to Itachi.
Kisame nodded, he understood but there was something that was bothering him. Mainly the way that Itachi had been acting. He didn't like that Itachi had just gone to his room without mentioning if he'd want dinner or not.
Outside the sun was about to set, and he was hungry.
There was no way that Itachi would want to cook anything, not with Kitty gone.
Kisame sighed, resigned. "I suppose,"
In all the time that he had known Itachi, and he would like to think that he knew him well to a certain extent, after all they lived together, the demon had never looked like he did right now. Cold, broken, like there was something about him missing—it was strange to say the least.
They had to find Kitty, that much was for sure.
"Should I make some dinner?" Suigetsu asked. He sat next to Kisame and squeezed his hand, trying to get his boyfriend to focus.
"Yeah." Kisame smiled at his beloved, " I'll help you. Maybe the smell of food will make Itachi come out of his room to have something to eat," Kisame said, with hope flashing in his eyes. Suigetsu returned the hopeful smile and nodded.
"Yeah, let's see if he will," he agreed, leading the way to the kitchen.
Sakon and Ukon thought back to all their plans for escape, and then deflated in hopelessness.
All of them were dangerous.
All of them required the Master key.
"Honestly, the only good way out of here is to get adopted by a family…" Sakon said. "That is the simplest and fastest way, but that also means that you might get castrated and declawed. A lot of people get kittens for their children and don't want them getting hurt or for the kitten to scratch their furniture," the white cat rambled on.
He knew just how dangerous it could be to try and help this kitten get out of here. There was no telling if Kabuto yet knew if he was a shifter or not, Sakon wouldn't want to expose that. The fact that he was in the regular cat room was a high possibility that somehow Sasuke had yet to be found out.
It could be to their advantage or not, Sakon couldn't be sure.
In the past, many of whom they have helped ended up getting out because there was already suspicion on them. It was easy for them to use their powers and escape, although not all in one piece, but they managed it.
That was also before they had been moved and locked in this room. His clowder couldn't do much here and Kabuto had already discarded them as useless. It was only a matter of days before they would qualify for execution, truly they had been resigned to their fate.
Now that this kitten was here, there was renewed hope. Sakon actually wanted to get out of here and meet the Itachi and…maybe live… looking towards his clowder, he could tell that they were feeling the same.
They were energized for life once more.
Sasuke watched in return, wondering what was going on.
"How do you get adopted?" Sasuke wondered.
"You don't want to get adopted," Tayuya let out a shaky breath. "The process is horrific. Trust me, you'll want to keep your claws and your balls. Our goal is always to get out through an escape plan, but from here…" she looked around.
The cages were all reinforced with steel bars. The padded locks all needed the master key to be unlocked. They had no claws to help them in that.
None of them had the power necessary for escape in this room.
"Well, it's almost dinner time," Sakon said.
"Hmm,"
Sasuke was so confused.
He couldn't tell what they were all thinking or planning with their half sentences and thoughts.
"Sasuke," Ukon called, "When it's dinner time there is this person that walks in. They open the slot on the side of the cage to pull out the dishes, in that moment they slip their hands inside. I don't know what your power is, but if you can knock them out discretely then we can get the key,"
Sasuke's tail flicked up and down in thought, "How are we going to get the key if the person gets knocked out?" He asked. If the person had the key and fell, there was no way that Sasuke would be able to reach the key.
"Easy, telekinesis," Sakon said, making his eyes glow a white color. Sasuke blinked, watching in awe as the cages rattled for a second.
"Does that mean that you can control others with your mind?" Sasuke asked.
"No, it means that we can control inanimate objects. They are not aware about that, but it is a useless power if the thing we want to control in under the influence of someone who closely guards it," Sakon let out a heavy sigh. "If you knock out the person, then we can manipulate the key to open the cages."
Sasuke nodded, not fully understanding what their power was. But if it would help him, he didn't care, he would do as they asked.
"I'll knock the person out then," he agreed.
"Alright," Ukon then described the person that would come to feed them. The way that he would act and how he would feed them. Told Sasuke to pay attention so that he can come up with the best way to attack him, without getting himself found out. "Just how do you plan on knocking them out?" he asked, curious as to what Sasuke could do.
They had seen him about to use some sort of power, but they didn't know what it was.
"Don't worry about it. I just need to know what happens next." Sasuke urged, wanting the full plan.
"We're going to release all the animals here so we can blend. All of them want out and they will rush for any exit. What we need to do is follow the red line on the floor. It will lead us to the front door, and hopefully if there are people there it will start a panic." Sakon explained. "We want a big mess, so that they can't stop us as we run out the door. Sasuke once outside you have to run for the bushes that surround this building, the faster that you can hide the better, because Kabuto is a snake."
"He's more of a gorgon," Tayuya added, "One look can lock you in place and you won't be able to run. You won't be able to move at all. Avoid looking into his eyes," She warned.
"He moves slow, and he might not do anything with others around, so that's no issue there. His partners are idiots at best, but they won't hesitate to kill you," Kidomaru said. "Whatever you do, don't get caught by them,"
"Whatever you do, just run, don't look back," Jirobo advised. "This is a suicide mission at best. If one of us falls behind there is no hope. We're dead so just run and keep going. It is best to know that at least some of us lived if not all of us,"
Sasuke flinched, "No we all have to escape, you are helping me…"
"Sasuke, sacrifices have to sometimes be made," Sakon cut in. "When you have gone through so much sometimes you welcome death as a swift relief. We're no strangers to it, we've been resigned to it. Helping you escape right now is being done out of a whim…"
"Don't worry about anything Sasuke," Ukon said. "Just focus on what it is that you want. Remember your goal and reason to escape. If everything goes as we plan then we can all escape."
Sasuke lowered his head in sadness.
In his time with Itachi he'd learned that helping others was a nice thing to do. If these cats were willing to sacrifice their life for him to have a chance to see Itachi again, he wanted them to live, but what they were planning was dangerous. He might not have a choice in the matter.
Sasuke nodded in agreement when Sakon called to him.
"Get ready,"
"They are here," Tayuya whispered.
The door opened to the sight of the previously described short but lanky man with the twisted jaw line. He was slightly hunched, with a hat that made him look like he had two puffy balls for hair on either side of his head. When he walked the key ring around his waist jingled, ringing to them the means to their freedom.
The man grumbled, upset at having to feed dumb animals, wanting nothing more than to go home and do nothing.
"I hate my life so bad, I don't want to do this shit," he sighed heavily, opening the first cage. His motions, how fast he changed the food and water were all taken into account by Sasuke. He would have mere seconds. Although this man was lazy and complained a lot, he was quick with his job, if not a bit abrupt and clumsy.
Finally he was standing in front of Sasuke's cage.
The man read the tag at the front, finding no feeding instructions for this one. He rolled his eyes, complaining under his breath. He noted the blue label on the side, so he looked down at his roster, noting down that the new cat needed revision. Once he was done, he prepared the standard for new animals. He flicked his wrist, the key in hand slotting to unlock the small slot for the food.
Sasuke got ready.
The man's fingers slid inside, finding no bowl. He groaned, cursing his coworkers for how dumb and uncaring they were.
Sasuke was quick.
His fangs sunk into his hand and sent discreet electric currents throughout his body. The voltage was high enough that it would drop a normal human dead, but not a demon. Something that this person was, unfortunately, was a demon. The man convulsed and jittered, falling straight to the floor pissing his pants and foaming at the mouth, knocked out cold.
He would be out for a good few hours.
Sasuke spat the blood and turned his eyes to where Sakon was. The white cat's eyes were glowing a white color and had the key floating in the air.
The key swiftly zoomed through the air to the front lock on Sasuke's cage, popping it open.
Sasuke tackled the door and fell to the floor. He was out of the cage. There were cheers from the others at the success of their plans. Sasuke watched as, without pause, Sakon started releasing his clowder and then the rest of the cats.
There had to be more than a hundred of them, each landing on the floor and meowing loudly, eager to get out of there. Cat's scratching at the door, knowing just where to find freedom.
"Sasuke, we have mere minutes. There is no looking back so make sure you follow us closely. We will lead you to freedom and back to Mister Itachi!" Sakon proclaimed proudly.
Suddenly, with the others standing around Sakon doing their poses, Sasuke would dare admit that they actually looked cool.
Pain had just sat down to have dinner when his cell phone went off.
Konan shot him a worried look, wanting to ask who it was but waiting for him to answer.
Pain didn't waste time answering, nor looking at who was calling him. He was anticipating for Kisame to call with news as to where Itachi was, so he wasn't expecting it to be anyone else. To his surprise, the person on the other line was Itachi's father.
"What do you want?" Pain was curt with his question.
How dare this man call him right now when Itachi was in so much distress?
When they all suspected it was Itachi's mother the one that was making his life miserable.
"I want to speak with you about Itachi and what has happened," Fugaku wasn't deterred by how Pain was acting. He knew that the man had his son's best interest in mind. Something that he was actually thankful about since Itachi left. "My wife and son are at odds over a kitten that was lost, and although I would like to apologize for it, we are not certain we will find the kitten." Fugaku let out a deep breath, "I am in search of it, but also I know that the damage has been done. I would like for you to please take care of my son."
"…I already do," Pain lowered his head, upset at what he was hearing.
It wasn't the first time that he had talked to Fugaku. The man was so proud of Itachi and it was clear that he loved his son a lot. Pain knew that Itachi was aware that both his parents loved and cared a great deal about him, but it was that love and pressure that was breaking him. Pain wasn't sure how to communicate that to the man, but held his tongue and decided it wasn't exactly his place.
Sadly, Itachi never wanted to disappoint his parents even if in turn they unintentionally hurt him.
"Thank you, that's all I can ask for. Itachi left here with the intentions of never seeing us again and that's something that hurts as his father…I never wanted to drive my child away." Fugaku said.
"Where is the kitten?" Pain asked, because he might as well. He could care less right now about how Fugaku was feeling.
Fugaku went silent, obviously hesitating. Thankfully, he decided to confess. "My wife mistakenly mailed him out. He could be in any of the packages sent out. We're in the process of locating each one," He explained and Pain's eyes widened.
"I see…" he said.
What else was he supposed to say to that admission?
"I will ensure to find the Kitten, that's on me and my wife, so please just take care of Itachi," Fugaku said.
"Please reach out if you do locate him." Pain said. To think that tiny little creature was in such a situation. He hoped that it wouldn't die do to mishandling or something like that. He wouldn't be able to tell Itachi this or the demon would surely go to any and every post office in search for the kitten, getting rid of anyone that got in his way.
"Of course," Fugaku hung up without another word.
Kabuto walked to the front desk when he heard the news that his guest had arrived.
This wasn't just any guest.
Since earlier today, he had been under a lot of pressure to hide anything that could incriminate him for the kind of black market he was running. This man could ruin him within minutes if they got wind of what was truly going on. In fact, Kabuto was surprised that someone of such high caliber would be standing right in front of him, looking to adopt some pet.
This was the secret Hokage in training.
This was the son of the previous Hokage, whom had retired prematurely, for reasons unknown to the public. Reasons that had Kabuto extremely curious, but had never had the chance to figure out.
In time, perhaps he would, but that wasn't for the here and now.
Kabuto froze, noting that the man hadn't come alone.
His beautiful wife, lady Hinata, the heiress to the Hyuuga clan was standing next to him, clutching onto his arm. Her long raven hair fell all the way to her lower back, and over her forehead. Not enough to cover her moon like eyes, or rosy high cheeks. She had the body any woman would envy, heavy breast and hour glass figure. Her sweet smile was deception.
Everyone that was smart knew that behind it she was truly a ruthless woman.
This woman was a lady of governmental power.
She came from money made from prosecuting some of the foulest people on the face of the planet and funded recovery centers for all beings, creatures, humans, and demons. It was a bit ridiculous, many scoffed at it, and many didn't want the help, but it was there…it was funny-wanting to help the ones that couldn't care less for that help.
Kabuto would be the first to tell you that she was simply wasting money in funding such programs. Ironically, it was funding his program, if only she knew. What would she do if she did know that she was giving money to fund a place that destroyed what she wanted to save…?
Her scary white eyes suddenly landed on him and it was like she could see into his soul. Kabuto swallowed hard and pasted on a friendly smile. He quickly jumped to their side, happy to show them any of his caged animals.
"Lord Naruto and Lady Hinata, what a pleasant surprise for both of you to drop by," he greeted, "I was told that you'd like to adopt a pet today, why don't you tell me what you are looking for and I'll see how I can help you."
"We don't know what kind of pet we are looking for, so your help will be appreciated." Naruto gently spoke, his blond sunny hair and blue eyes were a sight for sore eyes. Many would look at this man and think he was a bit loud in appearance, perhaps not as smart, maybe a little too carefree- but that was far from the truth.
Naruto had a strong sense of justice and a bleeding heart to help anyone.
His body was built strong with signs of muscle that easily flexed under his horrid orange shirt. Although he was not the tallest, he wasn't the shortest either. His shoulders wide, and his stance strong, this man radiated confidence and safety. Kabuto had the displeasure of meeting him several times in the past before he had become such a good looking man.
The blond had been so reckless in his childhood that there was no one in their neighborhood who didn't know of him. He and his bothersome brothers…
"Of course, please follow me to the back I can show you what we have," Kabuto gestured toward the door that would lead them to a hall way filled with other doors, each hiding a room with different animals. He felt fear bead down his back as he prepared himself to let them in, "Please step this wa-"
The sudden sound of screams, hissing, and yowling cut Kabuto off. Heading his way were a large number of cats, barreling past him that he nearly tripped. The only thing that saved him was that he was holding onto the door handle. His eyes widened, for a second not knowing what to do as his lobby was flooded by felines.
"Someone get here and help me gather these cats!" He trembled, mad that this embarrassing mess was happening in front of such important clients. He shuffled forward, trying to figure out what was going on. "Bob, Glen, Amy!" he called for his main staff, wanting them to move fast.
Hinata squeaked, moving closer to Naruto when the cats ran in their direction. The small creatures all brushed past them, hitting the glass front doors with desperation. The couple blinked, perplexed at the sight.
The blond laughed, reaching down and plucking a gray blue kitten that caught his eye. His fur was interesting, shinning like a sapphire when he moved under the bright white lights that filled the lobby. When he got the little thing at eye level he was greeted by large red jeweled eyes and a hiss as the kitten pathetically tried to swipe at him.
"Close that door!" Kabuto cried when he noticed that someone had opened the front door. The person, a perspective client, screamed and stupidly opened the door wide and stepped to the side. Out spilled all the cats. "NOOO!" Kabuto fell to his knees, disbelief painting his face, glasses half falling from his face.
How was any of this possible?
He had full control of everything. Always making sure he had the best locks and system so something like this would never happen.
"No worries sir, we will get this under control!" Amy walked over to him, dragging Glen and Bob with her. "Come on guys!" admittedly, they were scared of what Kabuto would have to say to them if they didn't get all the cats back. Getting out of there was better than sticking around to face his wrath anyways.
Naruto was laughing, while holding the limp kitten in one hand, "Kabuto, I thought you had better control of this place," he smirked. "You're slipping up now that you've gotten older."
The teasing tone only boiled over his anger, but Kabuto hid it well behind a chuckle of his own.
"Yes, well, mishaps happen," Kabuto got to his feet, trying to save face as he composed himself. "I can show you some of our other animals. We have an assortment of dogs and some lizards." Kabuto gestured towards the open door where the cats had all come from.
The couple moved to follow him.
Kabuto took a discreet deep breath, leading the way.
Sasuke, who was still in vulnerable position, looked at the blond with wide eyes. He froze at the sight of this man's face, for more reason than he was being held by the scruff of his neck. There was something familiar about this guy and it scared him shitless.
Naruto's face turned to grin at him, and his heart nearly stopped from the fear.
"Hey there little guy," The blood greeted him sunnily.
"Naruto, dear, I think you are scaring the poor animal. May I hold him?" a soft voice asked. Sasuke was handed off into soft hands that gently cradled him and carded through his fur. He heard gentle whisper trying to calm him, but all he wanted was to run off.
Despite his claws sticking to this person's shirt, he was not released and instead was squeezed in a sure hold. Sasuke did his best to try and relax so he could figure out his situation, but he couldn't stop himself from being tense and scared.
"Come this way," Kabuto gestured to one of the rooms.
Inside there were cages upon cages of puppies and older dogs. Hinata flinched at many of them barked desperately towards her, vying for her attention. She couldn't help but feel upset at seeing them all locked up. More people should come in and adopt, she thought to herself. She wished that she could take them all home but caring for all of them wasn't going to be easy.
She was only one being.
She could never give them the individual attention they deserved.
The kitten in her arms meowed shakily and she turned her attention back to it. The red large eyes looked up at her and she felt a twinge in her chest. Some feeling that she couldn't name as she stared at his eyes, holding his stiff body close to her bosom. It was like she could feel this kitten's fear and something tugged at her chest to take care of it, like she would a child.
She did her best to try and comfort the small animal as Kabuto and Naruto talked about the different dogs.
"Should all of them be this caged up?" Naruto wondered, upset at the state of things.
"Well, there isn't much room to put all of them in a more comfortable environment. Some sadly come to us all sick and have to be put down. This isn't an easy business and often seems uglier than what we hope it could be." Kabuto explained. "It also doesn't help that not many people are willing to adopt when there are already so many animals out in the street suffering, or being bred,"
"I see," Naruto muttered.
He could understand the situation, that didn't mean that he liked it. He wanted to do something to help better the shelter, but the best would be to advertise these animals to find better homes. For now, he turned to his wife and smiled when he saw her cuddling and cooing at the kitten in her arms. The sight made him feel warm and happy inside, it had been a while since he had seen Hinata give such a genuine smile.
"So, do any of them interest you?" Kabuto asked once they reached the last cage. He clearly had not noticed the mood change in the room. "I could show you the lizards next if you'd like?"
"What do you think, Hinata?" Naruto asked, gently smiling at his wife. He pulled her closer to him by wrapping his arm around her waist. She looked up at him with a smile of her own.
"I think I want this kitten," She said cuddling the cutie in her arms. The little thing was purring and being affectionate in return. It gently butted it's head under her chin, making her laugh and Naruto made up his mind.
"We will take this one then," Naruto grinned, turning to Kabuto.
The man looked at the kitten in Hinata's arms and nodded. He didn't recognize that cat, so it must be new. There could be a possibility that this was the cat they were still running test on since it had been picked up earlier that day.
"Oh, that is one of our new cats. We can set it aside for you but it still needs to be spayed or neuter and declawed," He said, offering a smile of his own. "We will ensure that it has all its shots and is ready to go home with you once we deemed that it's in good health."
"Do we really have to go through all that?" Naruto wondered.
Sasuke in Hinata's arms blanched.
There was no way.
He knew more about what being neutered and declawed meant. It wasn't what he wanted, not when he thought of his future.
Kabuto reached out for the kitten, "Why don't I take it from you?"
"No!" Hinata suddenly protested with a defiant look on her face. She too knew well what Kabuto was implying and it horrified her. It hit her so deeply because of what she had suffered so far. She couldn't allow Kabuto to do anything to the little one in her arms.
Kabuto jumped back away from the Hyuuga Heiress.
"Don't you dare do anything to it, we will take this kitten as is," she quickly said, her words hard with finality. "We won't wait. We will take this little one right now," she turned, marching out of there like she owned the place.
Sasuke sagged with relief in her arms, happy that she wasn't going to let him get his balls cut off, and that he wasn't losing his claws.
"Are you sure, the last thing you want is for this little one to get out and go search for someone to impregnate," Kabuto turned to Naruto, hoping that the blond will stop his wife. "The populations of cats need to be controlled, so many of them die because of bad conditions and over population,"
"Enough Kabuto," Naruto cut in, arms crossed and that bossy determined look on his face. "My wife wants the cat to be as is. If we chance our mind we will come back then," The blond grinned and heavily patted Kabuto over his shoulder, giving him a taste of just how much strength Naruto held. The silver haired man couldn't remain upright and it flinched with hurt.
Naruto turned to follow his wife who was already waiting in the hall way.
She urged him to hurry.
"But by law…" Kabuto followed after them, imploring with them the importance of why this kitten needed to be revised.
"Now Kabuto," Naruto commanded. He didn't care for what he had to say anymore, they wanted the kitten.
Kabuto pursed his lips, but nodded.
Of course someone of high stature would want to bypass all laws just to give their beloved whatever it was that they wanted. Must be nice, to have someone that loved you so much that they'd do anything for you.
He wanted something like that too.
Oh well, what did it mattered. The test so far showed that it was a regular house pet and nothing special. With how high in politics these two were, that Kitten might as well be slated to someday return here, once it was no longer wanted.
Whatever they wanted it for now, who knew, maybe some political power move.
Kabuto didn't care.
"Ana, get Lady Hinata's kitten a pet carrier. They will be taking it now." Kabuto commanded.
Ana nodded and moved to do as asked. She talked to the couple as she finalized the adoption papers and gave them everything that they would need to transport their new pet safely home.
Kabuto stalked back to his office, feeling anger bubble inside of him. He reached for the list, reading through the registered cats and smirking when he saw the five tagged cats that he had experimented on were on the roster of escaped cats. Those damned cats still continued to cause him so much trouble.
At first he had felt merciful. He had thought to let them live just a little longer where they couldn't do much. The experimentation on them had long since been done and they had been disappointments to him. Now he wasn't going easy, he decided to slate them for immediate termination once they were brought back.
He had enough of them.
Sasuke knew- had understood- he had listened to when Sakon talked about ways to escape.
The only other way for him to get out of the pound was to be adopted. With that in mind he had relaxed in the arms of the woman holding him and had put on his cute act. It was so different from when he was with Itachi, with him it came so naturally, with her he had to think about how he could charm her. In the end he succeeded and she was taken with him.
He was out of there in one piece and although he hoped the others managed to escape, Sasuke found himself in another awkward situation.
He was going home with his 'new owners.'
He stared wide eyed at the blond haired man currently looking at him through the pet carrier. The blond was talking loudly, saying something about naming him and how he couldn't wait to show him his new home. Saying how he was going to love it and be so happy, he was their first pet.
This man, blond hair, those damned blue eyes and all were echoing something familiar inside of his head, shaking past memories to the forefront of his mind. Something dreadful that made him want to run away, but that was impossible in his current situation.
All he could do was stare and wonder.
Where was it that he had seen this man's face before…?